Argh - Analogue Productions RCA LPs pushed out again

[astrotoy]

Larry, I have multiple copies of 1817. I have several 10s, a 5s, a 1s, a 15s and a 3s...all of which sound great, BUT the lower pressings do sound better. None of them, IMHO, is worse than my classic reissue!
I also have a Milhaud LDS 2625 in a 1s 2s pressing, ( much better than the later pressings I have heard) this would make a great re-issue; are they making of re-issue of this?
Anyone have an original LSC 2449 Gounod...it's getting VERY hard to source right now. BTW,I hear the re-issue is also excellent. ( I have NOT heard it).

I have a 1S1S LSC2449 which I paid a pretty hefty sum and a 2S2S LDS2625. Both of them were also reissued by Classic Records. I have both reissues, too, in 33 and 45. I haven't listened to them in some time, but generally I have been very pleased with the sonics of the 45 releases.

I hate the short sides of the 45's - getting up every 7-10 minutes, and have ripped all the 45's I have to 192/24. Fortunately, with Pyramix software, I can do very nice joins where the ends of some of the 45's are just faded out in the middle of a passage (the Heifetz Beethoven Violin Concerto first movement is a particularly grievous example).

LSC2449 was recorded by Decca and they (now Universal) have the rights, not RCA (now Sony). So I don't think there will be a reissue. Not sure how Classics did it, but they did the reissues of the RCA's when it was still BMG and there may have been some relationship with Decca. LDS2625 was engineered by RCA, so I think Chad could reissue it at some point.

I also have a 2 track original tape of 1817, but it is not complete - not enough room for all the music in a 7" reel (going one way, of course). I believe it came out some years before the record was issued. The tape is in quite good shape and the sonics are quite delicious. I have a fair number of the 4 track RCA's but have found that the sonics are hit and miss. Some like the Arnold Guitar Concerto with Bream are fabulous, many are less so.

With 15,000 records, almost all stereo and classical (and very few multiple copies of the same album), I have stuff that I don't know I have.

 

[DaveyF]

Larry, that's a large collection. Please tell me more about your 1s 1s LSC2449. I would think this must be a 'killer' piece, how does it compare to the Classic reissue?

 

[MadFloyd]

I just received the first 3 titles. I'll report impressions tonight or tomorrow (I'm currently at work).

 

[astrotoy]

Larry, that's a large collection. Please tell me more about your 1s 1s LSC2449. I would think this must be a 'killer' piece, how does it compare to the Classic reissue?

I just played my 2449. It is a wonderful album. The pieces are all infectious and tuneful - thrice familiar to classical music fans. The Gounod side has the Faust ballet music, making one grateful for the otherwise grotesque French tradition of inserting ballet music in the second act of every opera, no matter what the plot calls for. The end of the side has Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" made famous in the US by its use by Alfred Hitchcock in his television show in the '50's. Side 2 is Bizet's Carmen Suite. Again, well played and greatly dynamic, with plenty of beautiful quiet passages contrasted with bombast. The engineer was Kenneth "Wilkie" Wilkinson" and the recording was done in 1959 in Kingsway Hall by Decca under contract with RCA. There is a problem in the original tape, an overload in the bass drum climaxes, especially evident in the first track of the Bizet. This shows up in the record and the RCA reissue on their Victrola label. It also shows up in the 15ips 2 track dub of the "master tape" that I bought (most certainly a copy of a safety of a production master or something like that, not a copy from the production master itself). However, in the Classic reissue 45rpm, the overload is not there. My best guess is that when remastering for the Classic reissue, the mastering engineer (Bernie Grundman IIRC) was able to tame the overload. So for that reason, I would probably go for the Classic reissue 45. Since there are many separate sections to the pieces, there isn't the problem of an awkward fade in the middle of a piece in the 45. I do like the overall sonics of the original slightly better than the Classic reissue, which is a bit "hi-fi" ish for my tastes, but there isn't that much difference. Not sure whether the 45 version is easy to get, I'm pretty sure it is out of print. But it would be a lot cheaper than a good copy of the RCA original. When Decca got the rights back to the album back around 1970, they released the album in their cheap SPA series - SPA97, SPA173, and SPA220. I have SPA97 which has the Faust Ballet Music, but haven't listened to it in a long time.

Larry

 

[astrotoy]

I just received the first 3 titles. I'll report impressions tonight or tomorrow (I'm currently at work).

Wonderful, looking forward to hearing your impressions.

Larry

 

[MadFloyd]

I just played my 2449. It is a wonderful album. The pieces are all infectious and tuneful - thrice familiar to classical music fans. The Gounod side has the Faust ballet music, making one grateful for the otherwise grotesque French tradition of inserting ballet music in the second act of every opera, no matter what the plot calls for. The end of the side has Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette" made famous in the US by its use by Alfred Hitchcock in his television show in the '50's. Side 2 is Bizet's Carmen Suite. Again, well played and greatly dynamic, with plenty of beautiful quiet passages contrasted with bombast. The engineer was Kenneth "Wilkie" Wilkinson" and the recording was done in 1959 in Kingsway Hall by Decca under contract with RCA. There is a problem in the original tape, an overload in the bass drum climaxes, especially evident in the first track of the Bizet. This shows up in the record and the RCA reissue on their Victrola label. It also shows up in the 15ips 2 track dub of the "master tape" that I bought (most certainly a copy of a safety of a production master or something like that, not a copy from the production master itself). However, in the Classic reissue 45rpm, the overload is not there. My best guess is that when remastering for the Classic reissue, the mastering engineer (Bernie Grundman IIRC) was able to tame the overload. So for that reason, I would probably go for the Classic reissue 45. Since there are many separate sections to the pieces, there isn't the problem of an awkward fade in the middle of a piece in the 45. I do like the overall sonics of the original slightly better than the Classic reissue, which is a bit "hi-fi" ish for my tastes, but there isn't that much difference. Not sure whether the 45 version is easy to get, I'm pretty sure it is out of print. But it would be a lot cheaper than a good copy of the RCA original. When Decca got the rights back to the album back around 1970, they released the album in their cheap SPA series - SPA97, SPA173, and SPA220. I have SPA97 which has the Faust Ballet Music, but haven't listened to it in a long time.

Larry

Coincidentally I was playing this last night. I have the somewhat recent re-issue (Classic clear vinyl 45 RPM - I forget the marketing term). It's such a wonderful sonic experience and one of the LPs I would use as demo material. I have not heard any other version.

 

[AMP]

Ooooooohhhhh..... just in time for the weekend

Of course my table is in Tucson and the rest of my main system is in Phoenix, so I'm really going to have to work at it in order to play these before next week!

 

[MadFloyd]

I cleaned and listened to Sheherazade last night. I don't think DaveyF will like this - the pressing is devoid of any clicks and pops or surface noise of any kind.

My first impression was that the midrange sounded very natural but I wondered about extension in the upper/lower frequencies. I wasn't listening that loud but I felt it lacked a feeling of power (that I expected based on memory - while I love this record I haven't listened to it enough times to immediately recognize any minute differences in tonality etc). So after listening to the first side (first two tracks) I then played my 45 RPM version of the second track, then back to the new 33 again. The 45 RPM was more engaging to me, and I think that's because there was a little more bite in the upper frequencies and perhaps more bass but I'm not really sure. My overall impression was that there was no night and day difference in mastering (somehow I was expecting more based on the hype), but by this time I had two martinis in me so all bets are off.

I hope to clean and listen to the other two titles later day/evening.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I cleaned and listened to Sheherazade last night. I don't think DaveyF will like this - the pressing is devoid of any clicks and pops or surface noise of any kind.

My first impression was that the midrange sounded very natural but I wondered about extension in the upper/lower frequencies. I wasn't listening that loud but I felt it lacked a feeling of power (that I expected based on memory - while I love this record I haven't listened to it enough times to immediately recognize any minute differences in tonality etc). So after listening to the first side (first two tracks) I then played my 45 RPM version of the second track, then back to the new 33 again. The 45 RPM was more engaging to me, and I think that's because there was a little more bite in the upper frequencies and perhaps more bass but I'm not really sure. My overall impression was that there was no night and day difference in mastering (somehow I was expecting more based on the hype), but by this time I had two martinis in me so all bets are off.

I hope to clean and listen to the other two titles later day/evening.

Play it three or four times and see if it improves.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Mine arrived yesterday.

 

[astrotoy]

Mine arrived yesterday.

Myles, very interested in your opinion also. Do you have originals or Classic 45's of those releases to compare?

Larry

 

[DaveyF]

I cleaned and listened to Sheherazade last night. I don't think DaveyF will like this - the pressing is devoid of any clicks and pops or surface noise of any kind.

My first impression was that the midrange sounded very natural but I wondered about extension in the upper/lower frequencies. I wasn't listening that loud but I felt it lacked a feeling of power (that I expected based on memory - while I love this record I haven't listened to it enough times to immediately recognize any minute differences in tonality etc). So after listening to the first side (first two tracks) I then played my 45 RPM version of the second track, then back to the new 33 again. The 45 RPM was more engaging to me, and I think that's because there was a little more bite in the upper frequencies and perhaps more bass but I'm not really sure. My overall impression was that there was no night and day difference in mastering (somehow I was expecting more based on the hype), but by this time I had two martinis in me so all bets are off.

I hope to clean and listen to the other two titles later day/evening.

Mad, I like a pristine copy as much as the next guy. What I don't like is a pristine copy that leaves all of the great sound out from the original. IF we can have both pristine copy and great sound...I'm all in.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Myles, very interested in your opinion also. Do you have originals or Classic 45's of those releases to compare?

Larry

I have the originals though only a 5S of the Pines. Of course, I do have access to a 1S.

No Classic 45 rpms. I'm sure have all of the Classic reissues at 33 rpm but unfortunately they're all TPs and not labelled So the only one that I can put my hands on is a Clarity 33 rpm pressing of Scheherazade.

It's funny. I liked the original Chesky Scheherazade (not the Chesky Pines that was dynamically lacking) when I wrote about it originally for TAS. HP gave me flack but now he likes it?!?!

 

[MadFloyd]

I spent some time today comparing the first track of Scheherazade on:
- Classic 33 RPM
- Classic 45 RPM
- Analog Productions latest reissue

I wish I had an original pressing to compare but I don't.


The latest reissue has a smaller soundstage (width) than the Classic versions. I'm guessing this is because the new reissue was mastered with an all solid state path - the Classic versions seemingly have more bloom. The Classic versions are more vibrant to my ears - the strings are a tad brighter than the AP version. The AP version sounds a bit smoother - less breakup/gurgle in the string texture but that might be because a lot of that texture is in the higher frequencies and it's a warmer presentation. Whether this is because the tapes are older, the Classic mastering had an EQ boost or the mastering chain itself - who knows.

I'm really looking forward to somebody else's opinion. Someone with different ears and a different system.

I didn't get to the other two titles yet.

 

[MadFloyd]

Mad, I like a pristine copy as much as the next guy. What I don't like is a pristine copy that leaves all of the great sound out from the original. IF we can have both pristine copy and great sound...I'm all in.

Yeah, I know. I was just teasing.

 

[rockitman]

I spent some time today comparing the first track of Scheherazade on:
- Classic 33 RPM
- Classic 45 RPM
- Analog Productions latest reissue

I wish I had an original pressing to compare but I don't.


The latest reissue has a smaller soundstage (width) than the Classic versions. I'm guessing this is because the new reissue was mastered with an all solid state path - the Classic versions seemingly have more bloom. The Classic versions are more vibrant to my ears - the strings are a tad brighter than the AP version. The AP version sounds a bit smoother - less breakup/gurgle in the string texture but that might be because a lot of that texture is in the higher frequencies and it's a warmer presentation. Whether this is because the tapes are older, the Classic mastering had an EQ boost or the mastering chain itself - who knows.

I'm really looking forward to somebody else's opinion. Someone with different ears and a different system.

I didn't get to the other two titles yet.

Interesting. I went for the whole subscription... I have all titles on classic records and some shaded dog. Looks like there are two releases that were not available via classic records. I expect my records Monday and will share my impressions as I have most 33's and all 45's from classic. I would think the noise floor of the record might be a tad lower with these new reissues...I guess we shall see.

 

[MadFloyd]

Notice there was a customer review on AcousticSounds:

I have both a shaded dog (S1/S1) and Chesky re-issue. This new one by AS is hands down superior in every way. A steal at $30. Can't wait for more titles planned on this project to be pressed.

 

[rockitman]

Notice there was a customer review on AcousticSounds:

I have both a shaded dog (S1/S1) and Chesky re-issue. This new one by AS is hands down superior in every way. A steal at $30. Can't wait for more titles planned on this project to be pressed.

I just received my copies today. I will give them a listen and report back.

 

[MadFloyd]

I just received my copies today. I will give them a listen and report back.

Any impressions yet, Christian?

 

[MylesBAstor]

Notice there was a customer review on AcousticSounds:

I have both a shaded dog (S1/S1) and Chesky re-issue. This new one by AS is hands down superior in every way. A steal at $30. Can't wait for more titles planned on this project to be pressed.

I always wonder what's the system they're using for evaluation. There are some that are just going to miss many of the differences eg. low end, acoustics, timbre, etc.